John Edwards Win Seven Percent Of West Virginia Primary

AFP notes a strange trend in the West Virginia primary: the surprising turnout of John Edwards.

Clinton beat Obama by a bruising 67 to 26 percent in West Virginia, with 100 percent of the vote counted. Seven percent voted for former senator John Edwards, who dropped out of the presidential race in late January.

Remarks Steve Benen:

How serious were identity-politics considerations? John Edwards -- who dropped out of the race in January -- got 7% of the vote. That's quite a few West Virginians who seemed to be saying, "We don't like the black guy or the woman from New York."

Comments

[M1nkyb0y]

My guess is they probably couldn't read. This is not an area known for intellectuals.
Just saying.....
Did you hear the interviews with some locals on The Daily show.
There really ought to be a freakin' IQ test for voter registration.

[lboucher]

Obama sucks in swing state W, Virginia.

Obama is acting the diffident debutante, pretending not to care that he was given a raspberry by a state he will need in the fall. He was dismissed not only by the voters Hillary usually gets, but was also edged out in blocs that usually prefer him " the under-30 set, college graduates and affluent voters.

[CheshireCat2]

What a piece of shit. This guy worries about homeless vets from his 29,000 sq. ft. home? And he ruined 100 acres for it too?

[CheshireCat2]

This guy is absolutely useless.

[CheshireCat2]

God, I cannot stand this wussy.

[CheshireCat2]

OK Democrats, I am not one but Thank You from the bottom of my heart for NOT nominating this twit.

[comodiode]

Edwards is to endorse Obama tonight according to CNN

[CheshireCat2]

Sounds about right. Or was that Wright?

[glorysong]

The people in West Virginia do not like Black People and will not vote for one. You see they voted for Edwards before they vote for Obama. That is the KKK home town. So of course Hillary would get it. She felt right at Home there. Those are her kind of people. The White working class of Racist people of West Virginia. And they showed how Racist there are.

[seawolf77]

If I said the black people of North Carolina and this nation for that matter will always vote for the black candidate since as the Rev wright so eloquently put it, no one ever called Hillary a ni**er, no matter who the other candidate is I would be called a racist for voicing such thoughts. But you can say it about the people of WV and not even a head scratch. Which leads to me to this : all you people pointing out racists, look in the mirror next time your finger gets twitchy.

[OriginalScreenName]

You argument falls flat on it's face when you realize that the Black community has a long history of voting for white candidates with the same percentages. Understanding that they are a minority and have strength in numbers does not make them racists. If they hated white people, they wouldn't vote for them.

Consider this, West Virginia (who has one of the highest casualty rates per capita in the Iraq War) just voted overwhelmingly for the candidate who's incompetence by not reading the intelligence reports and amorality by putting politics before principle voted for the war that's caused them so much grief. WV didn't really present itself as a voting bloc that likes to think too much. Do you honestly think of two black men/women were running for president that these people wouldn't just stay home just to avoid voting for a black man?

I've spent quite some time in WV. It was the most openly bigoted place I've ever been.

[Chrysofa]

West Virginia is not the KKK home town. And West Virginians do not dislike black people. West Virginia is neither now nor has it ever been since it's inception a region of racist people. All these points can easily be backed up by fact and are generally known. They voted for Hillary because she kissed their collective butts, told them they were vital and necessary. She appeals to the elderly and the undereducated. West Virginia falls into both categories.

Attacks of this type, the type you've posted here, are quite frankly disgusting and unwelcome. I'm sure Fox News has some page more appropriate for your type of weak, unsubstantiated, pathetic emotional appeal.

[CheshireCat2]

You must have lived through the 60's and 70's. It is rather obvious that the psychodelics had an effect on your rationale.

[Maifmart]

This is the base Hillary says she can build a winning coalition on? Get real, if 7% prefer the white guy who dropped out, what's she think 'd happen when McCain the war hero's name was on the ballot with her?

[ggmome]

Shows to go ya, racism is deaf, dumb, blind as well as stupid... 'Spec they didn't know he is out of the race? Or is this a sign of anything but a AA or a Clinton? Wonder how Hillary would interpet that?

[CheshireCat2]

The funny thing is they are Democrats. Now go back and read your post again. It's your family you mock.

[colbertnationfan]

John Edwards was my Number One pick from day one. Why oh why didn't others see in him what I did I will never know or understand.

That's OK though because he likes Hillary's Health Care plan best, so if she becomes the nominee at Convention we can hope Edwards will jump on the ticket then, if not sooner.

[seawolf77]

Just goes to show when it comes to getting behind one of your own, middle aged white men can't pick a a middle aged white man from a lineup that included a white woman and a black man. All the blacks voted for blacks. All the women voted for the woman. All the black women voted for the black man. All the kids voted for the kid. All the white middle aged men voted for .... who exactly.

[CheshireCat2]

Probably because the rest of us could see right through him. He made a good living on jurists like you.

[bowloforanges]

Why do you think he has not backed HRC yet?

[ceesaw]

See this is just the point. These folks in West Virginia are either extremely uninformed,or just plain old Racist. Why don't they know that Edwards is no longer in the race? Or they would rather vote for someone who is not in the race than for a black candidate? The media is making it look as though this is something Obama is responsible for.This is not an Obama's problem.It is America's problem.These people have been hating Blacks forever.They have stated in no uncertain terms that they will not vote for a black candidate.So let them sit up there and wallop in their own ignorance.They do not understand the issues.The issues are too complicated for them.One thing that unites them is the fact that they hate Blacks.What they fail to realize is that that type of mentality is dying out. AGAIN, THIS IS AMERICA'S PROBLEM.

[seawolf77]

Your ignorance of history is only overshadowed by your complete self righteousness. The western most part of Virginia (West Virginia) joined the union becasue they were completely anti-slavery. Consequently the people of West Virginia have more to do with blacks' freedom than the people in say ...Alabama, although the people in Alabama voted like crazy for Obama. Sounded good though. Just like everything in Obama's camp. Sounds good. Not much else.

[nycdave]

I think it's fair to assume that AT LEAST 7% of WV voters are so uninformed and out of it they don't even know Edwards dropped out.

[RedBirdy]

It isn't a fair assumption. It's a dumb one.

[nycdave]

Really? Coz you can back it up with things like literacy rates, higher education rates, surveys of knowledge of current events... really! Check it out! WV ranks right down there with Arkansas and Mississippi... speaking of which, weren't you Clintonistas the ones talking about how dumb Mississippians went for Obama?

[sanywhere]

i think it is fair to assume at this point that you are elitist. people are allowed to vote for who they want at whatever point they want. they knew he was not in the race, they were making a point. it is much the same way mc cain is not getting all the vote. it may not be what you and i want but name calling and talking down to wv people is ignorant.

[bossjimgettys]

People who vote against their own best interests are ignorant and gave us 8 years of Bu$shCo. Now they can't afford the gas to go to the supermarket buy food they can barely afford. Not recognizing that many Americans are ignorant is ignorant.

[gba]

That's incredibly stupid

[ErnestineBass]

Yep. nycdave's is the second assinine comment I've read today.

A class bigot from nyc...hmmmmm?

Go figure.

[nycdave]

A class bigot -- coming from someone who obviously isn't clear on the definition of either.

[nycdave]

Exactly my point... it's not exactly the brightest bulb in the 50-state box.

[Thevail]

You know, I've been reading, and watching, etc. and I'm voting Obama, but I do think he's weak on the rural issues. On the other hand, rural, undereducated,christain conservatives do have a real tendency to vote against their own interests. To the point where you really start to realize how necessary education is to a democracy.

If you can't understand a candidates words, how likely are you to get their message loud and clear?
No grasp of macro economics has got to make it very hard to understand several of both democrats policy proposals.

And how can any politician both tell the public the truth and yet shorten every policy proposal to bumper sticker dimensions in words of two syllables or less?

There is a real culture gap in this country, there is a real age gap in this country, and a fairly serious cultural gender gap. The hardest thing is that they all appear to be front and center in the democratic primary. I hope we can get this parties together before november, but it looks like a pretty tall order. Everyone seems to hate everyone else.

[fair1234]

Democrats lets all come together and stop fighting. We need Bush out of the White House and we know that Obama has won this so we need to support him. I got an email this morning that Republicans are going in liberal blogs and saying nasty things about the Clinton or Obama campaign to keep the fighting in the blogs so Please Beware of This!!! I am going to support Obama and I think he will win but I also Love Edwards and have love for the Clintons. We are in this together people so let's end the fighting and smash the Republicans and their shameful war in Iraq!!!! SPREAD THE WORD THAT REPUBLICANS IN DISGUISE ARE TRYING TO STIR UP FIGHTS BETWEEN CLINTON AND OBAMA SUPPORTERS IN BLOGS!!

[CheshireCat2]

It isn't like you really have to try. Just ask a couple of questions and then watch the pummeling begin.

[liberaldemdave]

i just keep wondering to myself...what if? what coulda been?

[CheshireCat2]

Thank God it was only a thought.

[Texas4Obama]

Interesting fact...

Even though there was low turnout for Senator Obama in WV - Obama received more votes from WV than McCain did !

[shearm]

Republicans have no reason to go out and vote in the primary.

[ErnestineBass]

Especially now that gasoline is almost $4 a gallon...

[CheshireCat2]

2006

[CheshireCat2]

Bet you didn't know that gas went from70 dollars a barrel to 125 dollars a barrel since the Dems took back the Senate. Go look it up sweetheart!

[colleen2]

Edwards spoke (and still speaks) for the poor, an unpopular issue these days but one which still has resonance for many of us . While part of that surprisingly high vote for Edwards might be attributed to identity politics (as if white males don't have their own highly successful identity politics which this nation was, lets face it, founded on) perhaps some of it was due to the fact that this issue appears to be a footnote in the Obama campaign and, of course, the Clintonian/DLC concern for the poor is about as convincing and effective as Newt Gingrich's compassionate conservatism.

[530Rose]

The Democratic party has always been the champion of the poor and disenfranchised, even when it is full of educated, latte drinking, arugula eating liberal elites. Too bad the poor and disenfranchised have never been the champions of the Democratic party. It seems that the un or undereducated of the country prefer to have a present that they can relate to, that "thinks like they do" or "looks like they do." I for one would prefer someone smarter, better educated, more even tempered than I am. Look what happened when the American people got conned by Good Old Boy "W". It is too bad that the poor seem to work hard to vote against their own interests.